Electric switch.



No. 638,687. Patented Dec. l2, I899.

J. m. ANDERSEN.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

' (Application filed 'mc. 23, 1897.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I 2 01' gm m l; L

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m: nonms Pzrsn: w v Pnnraumm msumaron n c N0. 638,687. Patented Dec. '2, I899. J. M. ANDERSEN.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

(Application filed D00. 28, 1897.)

. 3 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

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4 NI'TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHAN M. ANDERSEN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO ALBERT ANDERSON, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC SWlTCl-l.

SPECIFICATION forming art of Letters Patent to. 638,687, cared December 12, mt

Application filed December 23, 1897- gerial No. 663,112. (No model.)

To ail whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHAN M. ANDERSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Electric Switches, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and figures on the drawings'representing like parts.

This invention relates to an electric switch or circuit-controller and is herein shown as embodied in a switch of that class known as a double throw quick-break switch. 111 accordance with this invention the doublethrow switch is provided with a spring-actuated movable member which is eccentrically mounted so as to be turned preferably through an arc of substantially one hundred and eighty degrees and make contact with cooperating stationary members set at substantially the same distance on opposite sides of the center on which the eccentric turns, so that the movable member may be positively engaged with its cooperating member on opposite sides of the center and may be disengaged therefrom with a quick movenient, whereby the switch is rendered equally effective when the movable member cooperates with one stationary member as with the other. These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a switch embodying this invention; Fig. 2, a top or plan view of the switch shown in Fig. 1; Fig.8, a longitudinal section on the line 3 3, Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a side elevation with parts broken away of the switch, showing the same in the act of opening; Fig. 5, a section similar to Fig. 3 with the movable member in the opposite position; Fig. 6, a sectional detail, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 6 6, Fig. 1, looking toward the right; and Fig. 7 a section on the line 7 7, Fig. l.

The operative parts of the switch herein shown as embodying this invention are snitably secured to a base A, of suitable insulating material, which in the present instance has fastened to it two sets A A of stationary terminals or contact members, each compris ing three pairs of metal fingers a a a which may be fastened into slots in a terminal plate a by a pin a or in any other suitable manner, the said plate, as shown, having a post or shank-a extended through the base A and provided with screw-threads a to be engaged by a lock-nut a The sets A A of stationary terminals are secured to the base on 0pposite sides of a center shaft or pivot a preferably supported, as herein shown, (see Fig. 7,) by three pairs of uprights a 64 a ,secured to a plate (L as by a pin (4 The metal fingers a a a and uprights a a a may and in practice preferably will be secured in place by solder.

The pivot or shaft a has mounted on it, as will be described, the movable member of the switch, which in the present instance comprises an eccentrically-mounted blade or arm I) and a carrier for said blade, which carrier may and preferably will consist of two concentrically-mounted arms or blades 1) b. The concentric blades, as shown, are mounted directly upon the pivot pin or shaft a between the uprights 64 a, respectively, while the blade or arm b is mounted to turn on an cecentric hub b on the shaft or pivot a. The eccentric hub b is loose on the pivot or shaft a, but is held stationary, as shown, by means of substantially diametrically opposite lugs 5 extended into vertical slots b in the uprights The plate G115 is provided with a post a extended through the base A and secured thereto by a nut a The carrier or concentric blades 1) b are made of sufficient length to project beyond the sets A A of stationary contact members and are united at their free ends by a tie-bar 79 to which is secured a suitable handle 17 The eccentric blade b is located between the concentric blades Z2 b and is preferably made shorter than the same and is connected to the concentric blades, as will be described, in such manner as to enable the concentric blades to be moved independent of it, so that an increasing force maybe applied to the eccentric blade to remove it from engagement with its cooperating stationary terminals. The increasing force referred to is obtained, as herein shown, by means of a yielding medium, shown as springs b b, connected to the opposite ends of two bars or rods 6 b located above and below the concentric blades 1) b, and, as shown, normally seated in suitable recesses Z9 Z1 in the top and bottom edges or sides of said concentric blades. The bars or rods 5 b are also adapted to engage one of two similar recesses Z)" Z) in the upper and lower edges or sides of the eccentric blade 12 (See Figs. 3 and 5.) The concentric blades Z) Z) are adapted to have a certain movement away from their cooperating stationary terminals, without moving the cocentric blade and to then be positively con nected to said eccentric blade, so that further movement of the concentric blades will effect a partial disengagement of said eccentric blade from its cooperating stationary terminal and sufficient to permit the springs b 19 to complete said disengagement. The positive connection between the concentric blades 1) b and the eccentric blade I) may be effected, as herein shown, by means of a cross bar or rod 0, secured, in the present instance at its opposite ends, to the concentric blades Z) I) and extended through one of two slots 0' c in the eccentric blade. The slots 0 c are made in the arcs of circles of substantially the same radius, but struck from different centers, and the said curved slots extend in substantially opposite directions from substantially a line through the center of the pivot or shaft e and extended longitudinally through the cocentric blade Z92, each of the said slots being carried beyond said longitudinal line a distance substantially equal to one half the thickness or diameter of the rod or bar 0, so as to permit of longitudinal movement of the eccentric blade when turned on its eccentric b to permit one and then the other of the slots 0 c to be engaged with the bar or rod 0.

When the movable member of the switch is in contact with the set A of stationary terminals, the bar 0 extends through the slot 0 and in the closed position of the switch the said bar bears against the end wall 2 of said slot, as shown in Fig. 3. If now it is desired to open the circuit between the set A of the terminals and the terminal uprights carrying the pivot a the operator moves the handle 79 in the direction indicated by the arrow 20 in Fig. 4, thereby turning the concentric blades 1) b on the pivot a and manually removing the said concentric blades from engagement with their cooperating terminals a a \Vhen the blades Z) Z) are disengaged from their cooperating terminals a (L as described, the eccentric blade Z9 remains in frictionalengagement with its cooperating terminals a Consequently as the concentric blades 1) b are turned on their pivot the springs b Z1 are placed under tension, being extended, as indicated in Fig. 4, until the bar 0, carried by the blades I) Z), engages the end wall 3 of the curved slot 0 and thereafter on the further movement of the concentric blades in the direction of the arrow 20 the eccentric blade Z1 is moved with the blades 1) 1) until the friction between the blade 6 and its terminals is overcome by the springs 19 Z2 which completes the removal of the blade 11 from engagement with its terminals and restores the said blade into its normal position relatively to the carrier or blades 1) 12 substantially in an instant, thereby effecting a sharp quick break in the circuit, and consequently avoiding the formation of arcs. The movement of the blade 19 by the springs Z9 Z2 is arrested by the end wall 2 engaging the bar 0.

If it is desired to complete the circuit between the movable blade I) and the set A of terminals, the handle 11 is continued on its movement in the direction indicated by the arrow 20 until the said blade is engaged with the terminals A During the movement just referred to the bladesb I) turn on their pivot or center (0 while the blade b turns on the eccentric which is shaped so as to move the blade 19 longitudinally, and thereby remove the slot 0 from in line with the bar 0 and bring the slot 0 in line therewith and into engagement with the end wall at of the said slot, so that as the blades 6 b are moved from a central position down toward the set A of terminals the bar 0 will move the blade 6 and positively force it into engagement with its cooperating terminals of the set A and into the position shown in Fig. 5. As the blade b is moved longitudinally by its eccentric the rods or bars 13 Z) are disengaged from one set of recesses Z2 and engaged with a second set Z1 hen the handle I) is moved from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 3 to open the circuit between the terminals A and the uprights in which the blades are pivotally supported and to close the circuit between the said uprights and the ter minals A, the eccentric blade 19 is operated in the same manner as described, but in a reverse directionthat is, the springs 12 5 are first expanded and the bar a engaged with the end wall 5 of the slot 0 to partially remove the blade from its terminals of the set- A and then completely removed therefrom substantially in an instant by the springs Z2 5 after which all the blades are moved past the center, and the blade 11 is moved longitudinally to engage the slot (2 with the bare, and the recesses Z1 are brought into engagement with the rods 11 I).

With the construction herein shown the eccentric blade 11 is positively closed on both sides of the double-throw switch and is springactuated in opening with the same or substantially the same spring force on both sides of the switch-that is, when the blade I) is in engagement with the cooperating terminals a of the set A its removal therefrom is completed by the force of the expanded springs b Z1 and when in contact with like terminals of the set A the spring force employed in removing the said blade from the terminal a of the set A is the same or substantially the same. Furthermore, the blade b is positively engaged with its terminals a of the sets A A by means of the cross-bar c, which in one instance engages the end wall 2 of the slot (2 and in the other instance engages the end wall 4 of the slot 0. As a result a double-throw quick-break switch is obtained in which the movable member is positively moved into its closed position on both sides of the center and is opened by a yielding medium which disengages said blade from its terminals with the same quickness or rapidity on either side of the center.

I prefer the construction herein shown, in which the eccentric blade is interposed between two concentric blades, which have the function of a carrier for the eccentric blade; but I do not desire to limit my invention to the particular construction shown. So, also, this invention may be embodied in a quickbreak switch having but a single throw and is further adapted to be embodied in-a multipole switch by increasing the number of the blades 79 to correspond to the poles of the multipole switch. When embodied in a multipole switch, the carrier for the movable members need not cooperate with spring-fingers of the stationary terminals.

I may prefer-to effect the positive connection between the movable member and its carrier as herein shown-that is, by providing the movable member with slots and the carrier with a projection or bar to engage said slots; but I do not desire to limit my invention in this respect, as this construction may be reversed-that is, the slots may be formed in the carrier and the projection or bar attached to the movable member.

I claim- 1. In an electric switch or circuit-controller, the combination of the following instrumentalities, viz: stationary memberslocated on opposite sides of a center, and a movable member cooperating with said stationary members and comprising an eccentricallymounted blade provided with curved slots of substantially the same radius but having different centers, a carrier for said eccentric blade, a cross-bar attached to said carrier and extended through one of said slots and adapted by movement of the eccentric blade to register with the other of said slots, and means to yieldingly connect the eccentric blade with its carrier, substantiallyvas and for the purpose specified.

2. In an electric switch, a movable member comprising an eccentrically-mounted blade movable in an arc of substantially one hundred and eighty degrees, and provided with com municating slots of substantially the same are but of different centers, a bar or rod eX- tended into one of said slots and adapted to register with the other of said slots by longitudinal movement of the eccentric blade, means to actuate the said bar independent of the eccentric blade, and a yielding medium engaging said eccentric blade and actuated by the means which move the said bar, sub stantially as described.

3. In an electric switch, the combination with an eccentrically-mounted movable member, of a pivoted actuating-carrier, means to connect said movable member with the actuating-carrier comprising connected curved slots of substantially the same radius but having difierent centers in one member, and a bar or projection rigidly attached to the other member, and a yielding medium actuated by the independent movement of the carrier, for the purpose specified. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHAN M. ANDERSEN. \Vitnesses:

JAs. H. CHURCHILL, J. MURPHY. 

